Welcome To The Wonderful World of English Teaching

Welcome to my Blog.

Here you will find a guide to everything I wished I had known this time last year.

So far you will have gained a place on the English PGCE course and in this current economic climate, it's no mean feat. So congratulations on getting this far. Take a while to pat yourself on the back and bask in the glory of your achievement.

But not for too long.

By now you will  have a vague idea that the PGCE year will be a busy one so best to start now.

In fact, one of the best pieces of advice I can give you is to hone up on your time management skills.

If you can learn how to manage your time now life will be a whole lot easier once September arrives.

Start with Johnson's English For Secondary Teachers: Audit and Self Study Guide and create a plan of action.
Don't wait until September to sort out your schwas from your semiotics and if you don’t know what I'm talking about then you really should get cracking.

So order it here and while you wait for the Guide to arrive, have a read through the rest of this blog - just click on each of the title headings listed on the blog archive on the right of this screen.
And prepare yourself for the most exciting and exhilarating rollercoaster ride of your life.

The National Curriculum.

Let’s start with the biggie, the National Curriculum.

This is the only statutory document in the teaching bundle.

I won’t bore you with the history of the National Curriculum (NC) all you need to know is that there have been several revisions since it was first introduced and the consensus amongst English teachers is that the latest one (published in 2007) appears to be the most user friendly.

So what is it?

In a nutshell, the National Curriculum sets out the subjects that will be taught in schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

It lists the knowledge, skills and understanding required in each subject.

It also sets out the standards or attainment targets in each subject and shows how teachers can use these to measure pupils' progress and plan the next steps in their learning.

The range and content of the NC is quite exhaustive and you can find out the details here. It has been divided into four key areas, Speaking & Listening, Reading, Writing and Language structure and variation. Overall, the study of English should enable pupils to apply their knowledge, skills and understanding to relevant real-world situations.

There are a number of key concepts that underpin the study of English at key stage 3  and 4 and promote pupils’ progress in speaking and listening, reading and writing. They are known as the Four Cs

Competence

Creativity

Cultural Understanding

Critical Understanding

You can find out how these apply to the study of English here.

So how does this work for English teachers? Let me explain how it works in the classroom because, despite the prescriptive nature of the NC, teachers do still have a great deal of freedom.

For example the NC dictates that in their writing pupils should develop ideas, themes, imagery, settings and/or characters when writing to imagine, explore and entertain.

I have just planned a unit of work taking the topic of Gothic Tales. By using films, poems, stories and journals my Year 7 group will develop their own ideas, the themes of Gothic writing, use of imagery, and settings and explore these in their own writings which will be imaginative and entertaining. I have also lined up a poet who specializes in the Gothic genre to pay us a visit.

So don’t worry, once you get your head around the NC it really can be quite fun!



The English Framework

With me so far?
By now you know the National Curriculum tells you what you should be teaching but how do you teach it?
This is where The English Framework comes into it.

Although The Framework is not statutory, it is considered advisory and most schools use The Framework as a model of good practice when it comes to teaching English.
The Framework sets out guidelines which are used in most schools.
In the school where I am on teaching practice all lessons begin with lesson objectives on the board.The lessons themselves are in four parts (starter, introduction, development and plenary).
We teach pargraphing by using the PEE model (Point, Evidence, Explain).
Our lessons are under-pinned by the concept of Scaffolding (we help pupils get to the next level by providing support) and we begin introducing new concepts by modelling the process.
Lesson planning is done on a short, medium and long term process and we use APP to measure where our pupils are at.
All of these processes have come out of the Framework and while not statutory are pretty much standard practice in the current classroom.
However, be warned. A new Government came into power earlier this year and the website tells us that everything here is under review.
Having said that,  good practice is good practice and as most teachers of a certain age will tell you:
"We've been doing that for years."

APP and AFL

What on earth is APP or AFL?
Why do you keep using acronyms?
Please don't get cross; I am doing this for your own good.
APP stands for Assessing Pupils' Progress and AFL is short for Assessment For Learning.
And you will have to get used to acronyms.
In fact you will not only be deepening your knowledge of English you will be learning a whole new language during the PGCE - anocronymish!
So APP and AFL; why have I put these two together?
The answer is they are both about assessment - something you will have to get used to doing every day of your working life.
There are two types of assessment - summative and formative.
Summative includes more formal processes such as end of unit tests and GCSE or A-level exams.
Formative assessment is the kind of thing you will be doing every lesson such as checking pupils' work, asking questions and listening carefully to class discussion. This is AFL and helps you know where your pupils are.
APP on the other hand helps you assess the progress your pupils have made and inform you and them about what they need to do to get to the next level.
If you find all this a bit confusing, don't worry, so did I.
But invest 30 minutes of your time to watch this video on Teachers TV and it will explain everything - I promise.
If you want to gain a deeper understanding of AFL and how it works in the classroom find out from one of the architects of AFL, Dylan William, here and don't forget to stock up on coloured lollysticks.

The Wider Curriculum

I thought I'd give you some breathing space before mentioning the word curriculum again.

However, you really should know about the wider curriculum.

While the NC dictates what all students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland should learn in each subject; it is important that we remember that we are teaching future generations and while English teachers need to ensure they equip students with English skills, they must not forget about the whole person. It is vital that we take every opportunity to guide those young people in our care.

There are seven cross-curriculum dimensions which we should take every opportunity to include in our teaching.

They are:

1. identity and cultural diversity

2. healthy lifestyle

3. community participation

4. enterprise

5. global dimension 

6. technology and media

7. creativity and critical thinking.

And it is not just lesson planning where these dimensions apply. They can include school trips, lunchtime and after-school clubs, special projects and many more.

At my school I have been helping with a luncthime club to suuport pupils creating news reports to enter into a national competition. As well as developing their English skills this requires an element of creativity and critical thinking not to mention the use of technology.

Not as scary as it sound is it? 

SEAL

No, I am not talking about those furry little creatures.

No, this SEAL refers to the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning.

SEAL is a voluntary programme designed to develop the social and emotional skills of all pupils.

There are five skill groups:

1.self-awareness

2. managing feelings

3. empathy

4. motivation

5. social skills

Why do we need to teach these skills?

Think back to your own youth - these are high levels skills which need to be developed - not easy when you are a hormone-fulled teenager.

But these skills are vital to help pupils learn effectively while they are at school and become responsible citizens of the future.

PLTS

Have I lost the plot and missed out a letter or two?

Not exactly.

PLTS is not a mis-spelt version of PLOTS. 

PLTS stands for Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills.

And there are six  groups of skills we need to equip children with to prepare them for the world of work.

They need to be:

1. independent enquierers

2. creative thinkers

3. reflective learners

4. teram workers

5. self-managers

6. effective participators

 When we plan our schemes of work we help hone these skills.

For example group discussions can help pupils to be team workers and effective participators.

And when we assess pupils' work or get them to peer assess other people's work we are helping them to become reflective learners.
Simples!

PHSE

When I recall my own school days the one teacher that stands out - for all the wrong reasons is Mr. White.

Mr White was in his late sixties and a lay preacher.
But his day job was our RE teacher.
He was great at telling us bible stories in year 7 and 8 but by Year 9 it was time for the serious talks about sex and drugs and all that.
Mr White wasn't great at that. In fact he was terrible. He must have been teaching the stuff for years but he would still turn red when he produced the ubiquitous condom and the cucumber.

How times have changed.

Today all teachers take responsibility for the delivery of PHSE.

And you can have great fun doing it.

One of the best ways is to take a film (any film as long as it is age appropriate) as they shed light on all varieties of the human condition.
Take Juno for example; the age-old story of a teenager who becomes pregnant.

What should she do?

What can she do?

What does she do?

See, there's lesson for and you will be covering the key PHSE concepts of Risk, Relationships and Decision-making.

The full range of key concepts is:

1. Personal identity

2. Healthy Lifestyles

3. Risk

4. Relationships

5. Diversity

The key processes are:

1. Critical Reflection

2. Decision-making and managing risk

3. Developing relationships and working with others

Much more fun and far less embarrassing than putting a condom on a cucumber isn't that right Mr White?

G & T

Nearly there now and no, this isn't an invitation to succumb to a gin and tonic. Having said that, I can't blame you if you feel a thirst coming on.

This G & T refers to Gifted and Talented.

While you will be more aware of those who come to your class with teaching assistants and special needs you must also be ready to stretch the more able.

You can find out more about the Gifted and Talented scheme here but do make sure that every child in your class is given the opportunity to learn by being challenged.

QTS Skills

You have won your place on the English PGCE course.

You have your Maths GCSE and you will never have to study the subject again right?

Wrong.

You will have to pass three skills tests before you can qualify as a teacher and they are Numeracy, Literacy and ICT.

Why, you may ask, does an English teacher need another numeracy qualification?

The answer is that when it comes to marking, assessment and tracking your pupils you will need to understand how spreadsheets work and what about when you take Year 9 to the theatre to see "Our Day Out" - you will need to make sure your sums add up or it will be an expensive lesson for you to learn.

What I am trying to say is that these skills tests are designed to develop the essential skills you will need to carry out your job.

And you can have a go at the tests here.

The ICT one tests your ability to browse the web, create Power Point presentations and create whizzy graphs that make you look pretty impressive.

And as an English teacher the literacy test will ensure you don't create any spelling howlers in little Johnny's school report that may well put you on the front pages of all the newspapers.

And I don't mean in a good way.

Every Child Matters

Of course every child matters.

It's the main reason we want to do this job.

And if you don't believe every child matters then do the honourable thing and give up your place now.

The aim of the Every Child Matters programme is to give all children the support they need to:

• be healthy
• stay safe
• enjoy and achieve
• make a positive contribution
• achieve economic well-being.

Goodbye and Good Luck

And finally the only thing left for me to say is Goodbye and Good Luck.